Home Buyers Beware - revised

BEWARE OF HOME WIRING BY UNQUALIFIED PERSONS
Recently I was looking to buy a home in the West Kildonan area, (WINNIPEG) and noticed most of those homes I saw had either knob and tube wiring (ended approx. 1950) or some had dried out BRITTLE rubber cables, which was also installed during the 50's. Two had a lot of spaghetti looking jumbled up cables connected into a brand new 32 circuit electrical panel (obviously done by a handy person or home owner) but the hydro meter was still indoors and the service was, some 50 amperes and others 60 amperes. When I lifted up some of the basement ceiling tiles in one of the homes I noticed OPEN WIRING (single wires) to pot lights and other recessed fixtures more or less wired like a stereo in an automobile. Beautiful rec. rooms! The messed up wiring was all hidden and covered up in all cases.
Hold on! This is not all! The worst is - In the 1st and 2nd floors, ALL those brand new impressive light fixtures all over and brand new impressive gray DECORA type receptacles and switches ALL OVER made the place (to an untrained person) look like it had been all rewired. (The newly beautiful paint job and new carpets all over adds emphasis of perfection on everything through out the home.)
Those new receptacles have no GROUND wire and when connected to rubber
insulation wires, by means of the handling of the wires, the insulation crumbles right
off and most of the time the HANDY PERSON just tapes up the bare copper wires
inside the plug box which is wrong to do. (Electrical tape is only a short temporary solution and not approved for permanent insulation by any means.)
The new fixtures - is the same scenario except when there is knob and tube
wiring there is no METAL box to prevent any SPARKS from the improper connections to eventually continuing the burning process up the dried out wood chips insulation in most attics and also usually approx. 4 feet around the perimeter of the first floor areas. Even if there is a metal box, the new light fixtures require 90 degrees rated wiring.
Other hidden deficiencies in a home are not as dangerous as an electrical deficiency that very easily may cause the home to burn down very quick. Unfortunately, electrical wiring still works even when installed wrong and that makes the handyman seem like a pro?
I was not too surprised when I saw improper, dangerous wiring in the first 2 houses, I see it all the time in my type of work, but in ALL, in succession in the 6 homes I saw - I was shocked! (I have seen more older homes for sale since this first writing and it is the same all over the city.)
When called for advice or an estimate, I have prevented some homeowners from continuing creating such disasters in their wiring system but others refuse to pay proper prices for professional wiring repairs etc.
It is a deception, a false sense of electrical installation safety to home buyers. Unfortunately, with all home buying bidding wars, the new buyers have no opportunity of even getting a proper Home Inspection before it is too late?
From my experience, (Manuel Correia - Owner of ACTION ELECTRIC ) 90% of home renovations in Winnipeg have the wiring altered, modified, added or repaired, inspected, completed extremely contrary to CODE COMPLIANCE and extremely dangerous done by unqualified persons who, some, should be sitting in jail by now if the City had enough resources to oversee these practices.
This practice is happening right now throughout all the older areas in WINNIPEG and I challenge anyone who contradicts, to any extent, what I am writing about here and this is not, by any means, meant as self promoting material but only for general public information.

When will the City of Winnipeg or somebody wake up and PREVENT unqualified home owners or their handy people from doing their own wiring or electrical repairs especially with the intention of selling the home? I am qualified and work in this field but no longer do such repairs because the handyman always succeeds in outbidding me. Therefore, in residential work I only do service upgrades or may do work that also involves other professional trades people and therefore, permits are required and all work is inspected.

Rewire Knob & Tube Home Winnipeg

It has been an increasing request, from homeowners, about the cost and difficulties involved in rewiring or replacing the knob installation. It seems to be quite expensive according to an internet search - anywhere from $150.00 to over $200.00 for each switch, light, plug etc. There are other associated costs such as permit fees , repairing all the holes (aprox. 4 per point) made to be able to fish cables.
This increasing request is due to failure of the circuits due to handy/people performing electrical work and repairs and the insurance co. requiring the upgrade, especially when looking at 60 to over 100 years old wiring.

Electrician's aadvice

View my comments about older homes for sale with electrical renovations being done by unqualified home owner - handymen improvised wiring.

Electrical AA

Coming soon all about rewiring

Home Buyers Beware

See revised copy April 19 2007